Jalen Williams had an astounding sophomore season with the OKC Thunder, one where he upped his productivity in virtually every aspect of his game and posted career-highs all across the stat sheet.
With his incredible inside-out scoring abilities to his positional versatility (served as the club's primary power forward despite being a natural wing), the 23-year-old has established himself as not only one of the best players on this reigning No. 1 seed's roster but, also, one of the most promising young talents in the entire league.
Of course, despite his proven skill set and on-court excellence, there are still a few areas that Williams, himself, believes he needs to address to raise his stock from being classified as a rising stud to a full-blown star, and, when speaking with Thunder reporter Nick Gallo at Monday's Summer League outing, he revealed that his main priority does not necessarily relate to the hardwood but, rather, the exercise room and kitchen.
Thunder star Jalen Williams emphasizes diet as key offseason focus
From his first to second year with the Thunder, both from a skill-set and physical perspective, the jump that Williams made was truly astounding, as he improved his scoring output and long-range shooting percentage by five points and 7.1 percent, respectively, while adding several pounds of muscle to his build.
While it's understood that his on-court productivity is only destined to improve with added experience over the coming years, when speaking to Gallo, the soon-to-be third-year pro noted that he's trying to find ways to remain at his ideal weight of 211 pounds, which is something that will come as a result of proper health guidance and dieting.
"I think every year is gonna be trying to get better at my body, constantly trying to find out new tricks to be healthier and healthier every season. Thats been big. I've kind of figured out a good weight I like to play at and [I'm] trying to maintain that. I think a big thing for me is figuring out what I want to eat more and more during the year. I had a chef last year that was really successful with that so I'm trying to really hone in on that. That's been the biggest thing for me."Jalen Williams
J-Dub with the EXCLAMATION POINT 😤 pic.twitter.com/KmjJ475kXu
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 15, 2024
In the past, Williams has expressed his desire to put on the size and strength necessary to play a position-less brand of basketball, and his offseason work last year paved the way for him to serve as the starting power forward for the Thunder despite measuring in at just 6-foot-5.
Though the hope now with the splashy signing of Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency is that coach Mark Daigneault can have the newcomer slot in at the five, slide Chet Holmgren to the four (or vice versa), and move the budding star to his natural position at three, it seems J-Dub is focusing his offseason efforts on making his body right to allow him to slot in anywhere within the lineup for the benefit of the team.